Pannek Tops PWHL Scoring Race With Record-Breaking Season For Minnesota
Kelly Pannek playing for Team USA. Photo Credits: BDZ Sports.
Written by Gina Anton
MINNEAPOLIS — Kelly Pannek spent much of her career known for her reliability, defensive detail and two-way consistency. This season, she added something new to her résumé: the top offensive player in the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
The Minnesota Frost forward finished the 2025–26 regular season with a league-leading 33 points in 30 games, capturing both the PWHL Points Leader Award and Top Goal Scorer Award.
Pannek set a PWHL single-season record for points and led the league with 16 goals, while also tying for second with 17 assists. She became only the second player in league history to win both the scoring and goal-scoring titles in the same season.
“I think it’s just a credit to the group around me,” Pannek said during the award announcement. “We have a lot of depth, and I was fortunate to finish a lot of plays my teammates created.”
Her production marked a dramatic jump from last season, increasing her point total by 22 points year over year, one of the largest single-season improvements in league history.
Pannek’s offensive impact was consistent throughout the season. She tied for the league lead with eight multi-point games and three multi-goal games, and recorded a four-point performance (two goals, two assists) that matched a PWHL single-game record.
A major driver of her success came on the power play, where she led the league with 10 power-play points (seven goals, three assists).
The 30-year-old also joined exclusive company, becoming just the ninth player in PWHL history to reach 60 career points, underscoring her rise from steady contributor to top-line centerpiece.
Pannek’s 16 goals ranked third in a single season in league history, behind only some of the sport’s most established stars, further cementing her breakthrough campaign as one of the most productive in PWHL history.
Long valued for her defensive structure and faceoff work, Pannek’s expanded offensive role has reshaped how opponents defend Minnesota, where she has become a focal point of the Frost attack. As a three-time Olympian, she has also brought international experience and composure to her leadership role with the Frost.
Minnesota enters the postseason with Pannek anchoring a lineup built around speed, possession and balanced scoring depth, but it is her emergence as a primary finisher that has elevated the team’s ceiling.
As the Frost prepare for a playoff run, Pannek’s season stands as one of the defining individual performances of the PWHL’s young history, a blend of efficiency, consistency and a rare leap into elite scoring territory.
